Chapter 89 - 84

Because I was weakened by some unknown debuff, my top speed at my current state was only about the same as before I had ascended into an alpha. Nevertheless, it seemed like that speed was just about enough if I focused it all on some speed-centered attack. Like, for example, a barrage of thrusts.

“SCREEEEEEE!!”

The Underclaw cried out as it staggered down on its knees. On its body and limbs, numerous punctured wounds could be seen, and it all ran across the cracks and gaps in-between its damaged shell. And though the monster was still alive and had managed to endure all that punishment, it still had continued to weaken due to all the blood that has oozed out from its multitude of wounds.

'Looks like it’s your loss.' I muttered whilst trying to catch my breath.

Despite being on the verge of death, the monster still hadn’t toned down its hostility in the slightest. In fact, it even seemed like the intensity had increased instead. And based on the rebellious look in its eyes, it was clear that the monster still hadn’t given up. I didn’t know if it was the effect of the madness within the monster, or if its spirit and will were just that tough. Nonetheless, I knew that such mad fervor was dangerous, so I had to end it swift and fast.

'You really did a number on my claws…' I thought after glancing at my badly damaged claws.

At the last moment of our deathmatch, both of us had given our all to the point that I even had to resort to using my claws to defend against the Underclaw’s attacks. And since the Underclaw’s scythe-like arms were augmented by some kind of rot-like effect, deflecting the monster’s attacks also meant that my claws would be afflicted by the rot-like effect. As a result, my claws hadn’t gotten out unscathed and some of them had even completely broken down.

A sigh escaped my mouth after I had realized how bad the damage was. 'These things will be unusable for a while… Well, I guess this is a lot better than being gravely wounded by that.'

Because of how desperate I defended against those attacks, all I received were just small cuts, as well as some light bruises here and there in some parts of my body. And since those wounds weren't that serious, I was certain that the rot-like effects they carried wouldn’t pose much of a threat to me. This was even proven by the fact that Recuperate had already kicked in and had even successfully stopped my wounds from bleeding out. Furthermore, Antibodies also seemed to work against that rot effect so I wasn’t really worried about any lingering effects that might not even come.

Looking at the Underclaw who had been desperately trying to crawl away, I wondered. 'Now, how should I deal with you?' Unfortunately, the damage in my claws was so bad that even the combination of Recuperate and Antibodies wasn’t enough to fix it back to normal. And since they were already way past the breaking point, I even received a notification saying that Dismantling Claws were now ineffective due to breaking down. As a result, I needed to come up with a way to kill the monster, and it must not in any way involved the use of my claws.

With that in mind, I approached the dying Underclaw. 'I really respect your stubbornness to survive.' I pounced at the monster, thus pinning it to the ground. But just as my feet landed on its back, the monster forced its body to twist beyond its physical limitation, and then swung its arms at a speed that was even faster than before.

'Unfortunately, it is now your time!' To the monster’s surprise, I dodge the first of his scythes by leaning my head backward. And before the second one could even reach my neck; I plunged my head into the scythe’s trajectory, then shattered its blade by biting it with my fangs.

*CRASH!! *

As the fragments scattered into the air, I used that opportunity to tear the last of the monster’s arms.

“SCREEEEEEEEE!!”

Now that the monster had lost its only means to resist and fight back, it could only screech in pain and stared at me with fear and resentment in his eyes. I didn’t know why, but it seemed like moments before its inevitable death, the monster had regained enough sanity to be able to feel some horror and pain. At this point, even its eerie and sinister aura had disappeared, as if it had given up and abandoned the monster who was on the verge of death.

'What a pitiful beast.' With that thought, I sank my fangs at the monster’s head, crushed it in-between my jaws, and ripped it apart from its body thus creating a fountain of yellowish-green blood.

***

Intermission: The Ape vs The Chaos Beast

After entrusting the Annoying Insect to that Weird Wolf, the ape had decided to play around with the Disrespectful Beast. But for some unknown reason, the ape found the appearance of the said beast to be oddly familiar. He couldn’t quite point out where and when exactly he had met the beast, but the ape was at least certain that he had seen or fought against this same beast before. And if the beast really had left some kind of impression on the ape, then that could only mean that it was either unique or interesting enough to deserve being acknowledged as such.

With a fierce smile plastered on his face, the ape charged forward with his weapon in one hand. And accompanied by a thunderous war cry, the two huge monsters clashed, and it created a powerful shockwave that was enough to gauge the ground.

As the two monsters ran around and slug it out, what was left in their wake was either fallen trees or new craters on the ground. And since the two monsters were abnormally fast for their size, the damage to their surroundings just kept on getting worse as more seconds passed.

Before they knew it, the two monsters had already traveled so far that both the Weird Wolf and Annoying Insect were now out of their sight. But as their battle raged on, it had slowly become obvious who actually has the upper hand.

Despite not being able to use his left arm, the ape didn’t seem to be having a hard time maneuvering his staff-like weapon with only one hand. And though his strikes weren’t as sharp and fast as before, the ape’s technique was still somehow enough to compensate for all this loss. Because of this, the Disrespectful Beast had been slowly getting pushed back, and his injuries had also started to pile up.

“GRAAAAAAH!!”

Pain and frustration could be heard from the monster’s roar. This was because no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t land even a single attack, nor he could defend from the ape’s weird strikes. The monster didn’t understand how it worked, but it was certain that the ape’s stick seemed able to twist and turn like some kind of serpent. Unfortunately, what the monster wasn’t aware of was the fact that it was actually an effect of one of the ape’s main combat skills.

In truth, the ape knew from the start that the Disrespectful Beast wasn’t a match for him. The only reason why he chose the monster as his opponent was due to both his curiosity and understanding that fighting the Annoying Insect in his condition would put him in a pickle. To be more specific, the ape was really on guard against that insect’s scythe. And though he didn’t know what it was, his instinct had told him that it was something that he shouldn’t touch. That was why when the Weird Wolf intervened with their fight, the ape took that opportunity to conjure some weapon and boost his chance.

But for the Disrespectful Beast, there wasn’t even a trace that such an unknown and unpredictable trump card exist. And while it was true that the beast was indeed physically capable of fighting toe to toe against the ape, that just wouldn’t be enough to close the gap especially since the ape had one of his trump cards in his hand. More than that, the Disrespectful Beast also seemed to be one step weaker than the insect so it was simply impossible for him to win even if the ape was handicapped.

Filled with madness and rage, the Disrespectful Beast pounced forward in a desperate attempt to turn the tide around. But every time he swung or thrust his arms, the ape would just deflect it with ease, before spinning his stick to whip the monster’s joints as a form of counter-attack.

*Thudclack! Thudclack! Thudclack! *

Seeing that, the monster’s eyes opened wide in surprise. But before the monster could even cry in shock, the towering beast leaned back and swung the stick in his hand. A split second after a dull sound rang, there was a loud thud as the Chaos Beast fall flat into the ground.